The conical Asian hat, sedge hat, rice hat, paddy hat or coolie hat is a simple style of conical hat originating in East and Southeast Asia, particularly China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Philippines, and Vietnam. It is kept on the head by a cloth (often silk) chin strap; an internal band of the same material keeps the hat itself from resting on the wearer's head. This style of hat is used primarily as protection from the sun and rain. When made of straw or matting, it can be dipped in water and worn as an impromptu evaporative-cooling device.[1]
Because of its distinctive shape, it is often used in the depiction of East Asians. Recently, as part of international one day cricket matches in Australia, the conical hat has been a fashion phenomenon amongst spectators, with many decorated in Australian green and gold livery. Given that spectators are exposed for long periods in direct sunlight, the conical hat is a logical sunsafe device.
In mainland China and Taiwan, it is called dǒulì (斗笠; literally, a one-dǒu bamboo hat, 笠帽, 竹笠). In Japan, the hat is called sugegasa (菅笠). In Indonesia, the hat is called caping, and in Korea it is called satgat (삿갓) and mostly worn by farmers and Buddhist monks;[2] in Vietnam, the name is nón lá (leaf hat). Among conical hats, nón lá of Vietnamese has the most original geometric image as it forms a perfect right circular cone which tapers completely smoothly from the base to the apex. Nón lá are notable for their romantic and timelessly crafted adornments. Special conical hats in Vietnam contain colourful hand-stitch depictions or words while the Huế varieties are famous for their nón bài thơ (literally: poem conical hats). These contain random poetic verses and Hán tự which can be revealed when the hat is directed above one's head in the sunlight.
The hat switch of videogame joysticks was formerly known as "coolie hat" because of its resemblance to the conical straw hat. It has since been changed to "hat switch" to avoid any derogatory connotations.